With the late night news that Kevin Stefanski has been hired as Atlanta’s next head coach, it’s time to start looking at the staff he might assemble. There are, inevitably, plenty of reports and rumors already out there.
Let’s get to them. You’ll find any confirmed hires below; once the staff is coming together officially, we’ll move those up ahead of the rumors.
Jeff Ulbrich to stay?
The bulk of the reporting out there indicates that Ulbrich is staying on as defensive coordinator. Arthur Blank had indicated the team would
like to keep him if the next head coach is amenable; given that Stefanski’s specialty is offense, the odds of that seemed decent.
Ulbrich, in turn, should be able to keep most of his staff. While there are genuine improvements to be made, especially against the run up front and in the cornerback room, the team’s pass rush surge and contributions from young talent were major wins for Ulbrich and company. Defensive line coach Nate Ollie, who has proven to be a wizard when it comes to getting his groups to pressure quarterbacks, will hopefully also return.
Stefanski expected to bring familiar Cleveland faces with him
Per Dianna Russini, former Browns offensive coordinator Tommy Rees and offensive line coach Bill Callahan are among the names who might join up with Stefanski in Atlanta.
Rees, who spent one year as Stefanski’s offensive coordinator in 2025, is not a hire I have overly strong feelings about. I’d expect Stefanski to call plays initially in Atlanta—I know he’s given up those duties multiple times, but he’s going to be working with a lot more talent with this Falcons team and likely will want to show he can still do it—and if he trusts Rees as his right hand man, so be it, hope it works.
While I’d hate to lose Dwayne Ledford after the job he’s done these past several seasons, Callahan is a very good offensive line coach, and his relationship with Stefanski means we ought to brace for this. Ledford should be coveted wherever he goes, but Callahan will hopefully be able to oversee a successful retooling of an offensive line that probably will need a couple of new pieces in 2026 and beyond.
Confirmed hires
Check back later.
